The field of this invention is piping, particularly which is insulated to minimize loss of heat where the pipe conveys hot fluids, and to minimize warm-up and condensation where the pipe conveys cold fluids, and allow drainage should any condensation occur. Typically, insulation for such piping is provided in bats, about three feet long and is suspended on pipe hangers 10 to 15 ft. apart depending on the load. Individual bats are provided in matching, semi-cylindrical sections hinged together by a flexible strip. At the opposite side, the sections are held together by adhesive flaps which hold the halves together on the pipe.
The best insulation, from the standpoints of cost, shipping expense and ease of installation, is very light weight, consisting of a low heat conductive mineral or fiberglass matrix, with a high volume percentage of entrapped air. It is somewhat brittle, and definitely is not load-bearing material. It will not carry a pipe load. Any attempt to do so would compress and damage the insulation rendering it ineffective.
To avoid this problem, the prior art utilizes at each load hanger a special, hard, dense insulation bat capable of carrying heavy loads. This is illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15 where a pipe 20 is supported from bars or joists 22 by hangers 24. Between hangers, where there is no load-bearing problem, the pipe is fitted with the typical light weight insulation 26. At each hanger, a bat 28 of hard, load-bearing insulation is substituted and inserted between the lengths of soft insulation 26. A metal saddle 30 is provided under the hard insulation, to spread the load, and in turn is supported by a clevis 32. All the joints between the hard and soft insulation sections must be vapor sealed. This is expensive, cumbersome, and time-consuming.